CHALLENGES OF VERY LATE LIFE: PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH, CAREGIVING, AND AGING PERCEPTIONS

Abstract The very old are the fastest growing population in developed countries, yet research on this age group remains limited. There are, however, specific challenges of very old age that differ from those in earlier late life phases. Very old individuals and their families may thus have unique needs and may require adapted services. In this symposium, we address selected challenges associated with reaching very old age, including physical and mental health issues, as well as implications of both receiving and providing care. Ribeiro and colleagues report on centenarians’ health and morbidity profiles using the Portuguese census, by comparing individuals aged 100 years old in 2011 and 2021. Jopp and colleagues present findings from the first national Swiss centenarian study on centenarians’ health, cognition, and well-being. Gomes da Rocha and colleagues investigate depressive symptoms in Swiss centenarians during the COVID-19 pandemic, showing notably elevated scores. Kim and colleagues focus on aging perceptions and their correlates among dyads of very old parents and their old children from South Korea, highlighting the impact of the care experience for both dyad members. Gallagher and colleagues examine how old children of very old parents with dementia manage behavioral and psychological symptoms through specific strategies, offering insights on how to better support family care givers of very old dementia patients. In sum, this symposium offers novel insights on specific challenges encountered in very old age, by the individual and their families, and proposes potential pathways towards better understanding and handling of such challenges.

behavioral functional markers of physical capacity may offer a feasible alternative for identifying individuals at risk for negative aging trajectory.We aimed to examine the associations of different functional tests both together and as a composite score of physical capacity with rate of aging.We conducted a cross-sectional study, with midlife adults (age ~45) reporting being able to perform leisure physical exercise.Biological age was estimated using the Klemera-Doubal method and a set of physiological biomarkers; rate of aging, ∆Age, was defined as the difference between age and estimated biological age.Physical capacity was measured using a testing battery of 15 functional tests linked with six physical capacity domains.116 participants completed the testing battery.For women, better results in terms of strength, flexibility, cardiorespiratory fitness, and balance tests were negatively correlated with ∆Age (r=0.38-0.29,p<0.05); for men, beyond these tests, agility was also negatively correlated with ∆Age (r=0.27-0.59,p<0.05).A sex-standardized composite score of physical capacity was negatively associated with ∆Age after controlling for chronological age, smoking, and education (r=-0.437,p=0.007; r=-0.491,p<0.001 for women and men respectively).The suggested physical capacity battery offers a functional assessment for ∆Age.Higher physical capacity metrics correlate with smaller ∆Age, corresponding with younger biological age.Measuring physical capacity may help to assess aging trajectory and offer a suitable behavioral intervention goal.

LOW SENSORY RESPONSIVENESS IS ASSOCIATED WITH ACCELERATED AGING IN MID LIFE Merav Asher, and Maayan Agmon, University of Haifa, Haifa, HaZafon, Israel
The rate of aging is affected by genetic, behavioral, and emotional mechanisms; one possibly additional mechanism is the ability of the nervous system to sense and react appropriately to stimuli.This ability, called sensory responsiveness, may be a factor in shaping the aging mechanism and could be used as a marker of aging.The aim of this study was to examine the association between sensory responsiveness levels and rate of aging in midlife.A total of 97 participants born between 1974-1976 (age 45.63±0.67 at end point, 46% women) were included.Biological age was estimated at age ~32 and ~45 using the Klemera-doubal method and a set of biomarkers.Rate of aging was calculated by the difference in estimated biological age scores divided by passing years, reflecting temporal change in biological age.Sensory responsiveness was evaluated using the Sensory Responsiveness Questionnaire Scale, identifying high or low sensory responsiveness subtypes.We found that low sensory responsiveness was positively associated with rate of aging while controlling for chronological age, social engagement, and physical performance (linear regression, r=0.211; p=0.038).High sensory responsiveness subtype was not significantly associated with rate of aging (linear regression, r=-0.02;p=0.843).To conclude, low sensory responsiveness subtype may have a significant role in identifying the rate of aging in midlife.These findings highlight the importance of sensory responsiveness evaluations as a marker for rate of aging and the need for interventions focusing on sensory responsivity difficulties, as a mean of supporting healthier aging.

THE LINK BETWEEN VIOLENCE EXPOSURE AND BIOLOGICAL AGING IN MID-LIFE MUSLIMS IN ISRAEL Khalil Iktilat, and Maayan Agmon, University of Haifa, Haifa, HaZafon, Israel
Trauma and accumulated chronic stress throughout life are associated with negative health outcomes; more specifically, exposure to violence has been linked to an accelerated aging state.In Israel's Arab sector, rates of violence have been steadily rising for the past several years.Homicide rates, relative to population size, are seven times higher among Arabs.We aimed to determine the effects of exposure to violence on estimation of biological age as a measure of rate of aging within the ethnic minority of Muslims in Israel.We have conducted a cross-sectional study that included 375 participants age 50.5±6.9years, of which 61% women.Biological age was estimated using the Klemera-Doubal method and physiological biomarkers; exposure to violence was measured using the Screen for Adolescent Violence Exposure questionnaire followed by a principal component analysis.The average total score of violence exposure was 1.83±0.36(range 1-5, 1 corresponds with lower exposure).We found a positive and significant relationship among biological age, the "direct evidence of violence" component, and the "evidence of severe violence in the immediate environment" component (r = 0.119, p<0.05; r = 0.111, p<0.05, respectively).These results demonstrate that exposure to violence negatively affects health and accelerates aging within Israel's Muslim minority.Comprehensive, culturally-and gender-adapted programs are required to reduce violence and address its contribution to the negative aging trajectory in this population.

CHALLENGES OF VERY LATE LIFE: PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH, CAREGIVING, AND AGING PERCEPTIONS
Chair: Daniela Jopp Co-Chair: Kathrin Boerner The very old are the fastest growing population in developed countries, yet research on this age group remains limited.There are, however, specific challenges of very old age that differ from those in earlier late life phases.Very old individuals and their families may thus have unique needs and may require adapted services.In this symposium, we address selected challenges associated with reaching very old age, including physical and mental health issues, as well as implications of both receiving and providing care.Ribeiro and colleagues report on centenarians' health and morbidity profiles using the Portuguese census, by comparing individuals aged 100 years old in 2011 and 2021.Jopp and colleagues present findings from the first national Swiss centenarian study on centenarians' health, cognition, and well-being.Gomes da Rocha and colleagues investigate depressive symptoms in Swiss centenarians during the COVID-19 pandemic, showing notably elevated scores.Kim and colleagues focus on aging perceptions and their correlates among dyads of very old parents and their old children from South Korea, highlighting the impact of the care experience for both dyad members.Gallagher and colleagues examine how old children of very old parents with dementia manage behavioral and psychological symptoms through specific strategies, offering insights on how to better support family care givers of very old dementia patients.In sum, this symposium offers novel insights on specific challenges encountered in very old age, by the individual and their families, and proposes potential pathways towards better understanding and handling of such challenges.
Switzerland, 5. University of Zurich,Zurich,Zurich,Switzerland,6. Geneva University Hospital,Thônex,Geneve,Switzerland Altfhough every second child born after the year 2000 is expected to become a centenarian, little is known about what characterizes life at age 100.This is also the case for Switzerland, one of the countries with the highest life expectancy world-wide.In this presentation, we will report findings from SWISS100, the first nation-wide centenarian study in Switzerland.During the COVID-19 pandemic, we conducted a telephone study with centenarians and a family member as proxy informant, to investigate specific characteristics and challenges of centenarians.Centenarians were identified through the national address registry.A total of 171 centenarian cases were included in the SWISS100 Phone Study, including reports from 96 centenarians and 102 proxy respondents (mostly children).Centenarians were on average 102 years old, with a range of 100 to 110 years; 75% were women and 25% were men.One third of the centenarians had received basic education only, one third had completed an apprenticeship and about one third had higher education.Most of them lived in institutions (63%).Of those living in private, about half lived alone, one fourth lived with a child, and 12% still lived with a spouse.The majority was widowed.About 85% had children.Over half of the centenarians reported good to excellent subjective health; at the same time, over 70% of the centenarians indicated to often experience health restrictions.Those still able to communicate had high well-being and notable psychological strengths.In sum, findings demonstrate vulnerability but also psychological resilience in Swiss centenarians.

DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS IN CENTENARIANS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: FINDINGS FROM THE SWISS100 STUDY
Carla Gomes da Rocha 1 , Armin von Gunten 2 , Justine Falciola 3 , Kim Uittenhove 4 , Stefano Cavalli 5 , Francois Herrmann 6 , Mike Martin 7 , and Daniela Jopp 4 , 1. HES-SO Lausanne,Vaud,Switzerland,2. Lausanne University Hospital,Prilly,Vaud,Switzerland,3. Geneva University Hospital,Thônex,Geneve,Switzerland,4. University of Lausanne,Lausanne,Vaud,Switzerland,5. University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland,Manno,Ticino,Switzerland,6. Geneva University Hospitals,Thônex,Geneve,Switzerland,7. University of Zurich,Zurich,Zurich,Switzerland Depressive symptoms (DS) are prevalent among older adults (WHO, 2021).However, data on DS appear to be scarce in centenarians.In addition, DS may have been aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in centenarians who may have been more susceptible to the negative consequences of pandemic restrictions.Thus, as part of the SWISS100 study (Jopp et al., 2023), we measured DS in centenarians living in Switzerland during the COVID-19 pandemic.Randomly selected centenarians from across the country and their proxies were invited to participate in a telephone interview between December 2020 and June 2022.The study sample was composed of 171 centenarians, with a mean age of 101.8 (SD=1.7)years; 128 (74.9%) participants were female and 63 (36.8%) lived at home.DS were assessed via five selected items of the Geriatric Depression Scale (Sheikh and Yesavage,